Brynn Phytrelia 13

Chapter 13

"Captain Xedrin." Brynn spoke to the projection of this man, arching her eyebrow very slightly. She stood very rigid, unsure of who this man was or what he wanted. At least she stood tense until he mentioned Idris, and ending their "dilemma." Leaning forward eagerly, her eyes widened, and she leaned in a little closer to the image. "If it will help Idris, I will do anything. Permission is granted. I will do anything, and give you whatever information I can to obtain Idris and Atalanta." Although she cared more about the man than the ship.

"Very well, we'll reach your location in approximately two hours." He paused a long moment, and then regarded Brynn. "And please...Miss Phytrelia, do not mistake me for a 'captain.' Ulratians, while aligned with your race, do not rank ourselves with the humans." He paused a long moment. "Szen Seeker Xedrin, Miss Phytrelia. And, I am grateful to finally meet you. I look forward to doing so once we can meet in person."

And with that, the transmission ended and Brynn was left alone with her escort, and two men, presumably his guards, that had decided to join them. She was about to apologize for mistaking him and his title, but he was gone before she even blink. Mouth slightly open, air sharply taken in as she prepared to speak, then stopped. "Never mind." She whispered very softly, and turned around slowly to look up at the two guards who were standing there with her and her escort. "May I return to my room now, or is there a better place for me to wait?" Hands went to her hips as she rested them there and waited for a response.

He looked at her, then to his guards. He thinned his eyes thoughtfully. "Take her back to her room, and when the blade ship arrives, escort her to the launch deck so she can disembark." He turned to look at her. "Unless of course...you have any objections..."

Brynn stared at the man speaking for a moment, giving him an odd look. "No, of course not." Looking back at the two other guards, she shrugged her shoulders slightly, and began to walk towards her room. "Come on, men." She muttered under her breath, feeling strangely hostile. Perhaps she was getting tired, tired from being dragged from one ship to another, worrying, hurting, being separated from Idris. It all was slowly taking its toll on her. But she knew that she was tougher than this. That she needed to just stick it out, for Idris.

He grinned at her and gestured for the guards to follow her lead. Obviously, she knew what she was doing. The men didn't hesitate to move behind her, walking with her as she went back towards her room again.

Reaching the room, she stopped as the door slid open and turned to face the men. "Thank you for escorting me. I'll be seeing you in a couple of hours." With that, she stepped backwards inside her room and let the door shut on them before they could speak. Running a hand down her face, she sighed softly and sat down on the edge of her bed. They wouldn't respond to her, or protest as she left them. She could hear their foot prints receding as they left her alone. Nothing happened then. For the next hour and a half, no one bothered her, no one spoke to her, no one even thought to check on her. And she was alone, as not even the phantom Idris of her dreams she had had would visit her while the time passed.

Brynn didn't mind much, but she did wish that she had something to do besides sleep. But that's all she had. She stretched out on the bed, pulled the covers up and shut her eyes, waiting for time to pass. She didn't even really sleep. She just laid there in this strange daze, staring up into the darkness of her room. Sometimes she'd close her eyes, sometimes they'd be wide open, but she was much too awake for sleep.

She could hear footprints, a lot of footprints. As the sound got closer, the door chimed. It was impossible to determine how many people were there at her door, waiting for her to answer. She was already standing when the door chimed. The footsteps approaching had made her get up, and prepare. Walking to the door, she allowed it to slide open, staring out at whoever and however many were there.

There were probably six different individuals. The man, her escort from before, two of his guards, and three beings, liken unto nothing she had ever seen before, waited for her at the doorway. The man spoke first. "Mistress Phytrelia, Szen Seeker-"

"-Captain Chariton, I am more than capable of introducing myself. If you would, I'd like to talk to Miss Phytrelia in person." The tallest of the three beings spoke, looking down at Captain Chariton from an advantage of nearly two feet. "Mistress Phytrelia, if you please, might I come in?"

Staring at the men, she almost stepped back, intimidated almost immediately by the number of them. But she planted her feet and waited for the tallest of the three men... no, not a man, something else entirely. "Szen Seeker Xedrin?" She questioned, before slowly taking a couple of steps back. "Yes, you may. But only you, if that's alright. My room is small, and besides...I don't like being crowded."

Captain Chariton spoke up again. "Mistress Phytrelia, if you would prefer, we can escort you to the conference room where-"

Xedrin cleared his throat.

"-or, if you are ok with it, we'll leave the four of you to your business."

Xedrin looked down at her and smiled. "My men will gladly wait outside. I require no escort, but such is the procedure when embarking on a vessel that is not my own. Miss Phytrelia...if you would." He gestured inside and allowed her to step further back into her room before he stepped in far enough that the door closed behind him. Glad that Xedrin was cooperating more with her preferences than the Captain's, she stepped back inside, in her room upon his gesture, and waiting patiently for Xedrin to enter as well and the door to shut securely behind him.

"Thank you for coming in here instead. I know it's a little informal, but there's no point in wasting time with things like...conference rooms." Shaking her head slightly, she folded her arms and watched him.

The roof of the immense room seemed barely high enough for Xedrin to stand at his full height. He was dressed in a black tunic that covered his chest and part of his arms. It tucked neatly into a silver belt that seemed completely woven of metal. His legs were covered by long sleeves that hugged his form and came all the way down to nearly his ankles. He wore massive boots. Despite his large form, he didn't appear to bulge out a great deal as his abdomen, his figure almost completely void of anything but muscle. His black hair was long, braided intricately and hanging down at his shoulders. He had a warm expression, smiling kindly at her, his eyes fixing her with a penetrating stare.

"No, of course, Mistress Phytrelia. I simply wanted to come down to extend an invitation to you. You see, I have heard a lot about these harvester craft, and I wanted to ask you to accompany me on this next mission. It would make our job a lot easier if we had someone...who had been there before." He smiled at her. "I know...you are probably afraid to return to Astaria, but I promise that no harm will come to you. I will personally see to your safety. And I am sure you would want to be there when we find our mark. I'm told the two of you are very close..." He let his voice trail off, watching her, letting her process all of this.

Brynn was surprise. She didn't feel as intimidated by Xedrin as she thought she would. Granted there was definitely some intimidation as she took a few more steps back, just for good measure, even when he smiled at her. "Of course I wish to accompany you. But please understand, Xedrin, I am not afraid. I told you before, I will do anything to help get Idris back. My concern for my own safety...it is at the back of my mind." She smiled weakly up at him, and shook her head very slightly. "But thank you for offering to look after me. I am concerned about one thing. When I last saw Idris...he mentioned he could not leave the ship. Or else he'd...die. I want to be sure that we recover him and we recover him alive."

Xedrin's expression seemed to fall. He shook his head slowly. "I...I am not sure that I understand. When was this, that you saw him and he said this? How long ago was it? And...what else did he say? I can assure you, we are a force to be reckoned with. If these creatures do not bow before us, lower their shields, and go quietly into the night, then I can personally assure you...they will know suffering the likes of which you wouldn't dare to think of. If Idris is afraid for his own safety, I understand this much. But I am afraid I do not know very much about your last encounter."

"I..." Brynn hesitated before speaking, not happy that Xedrin's confidence seemed to waver. "It was a short while ago...I'm no longer sure of dates. I'm no longer sure of anything. He was sick. They were experimenting on him. It...It doesn't matter. I want him back. I'll make sure he stays alive. But I want him back." Her muscles tensed up and she felt a lump form in her throat that she immediately swallowed down. "When are we going to Astaria?"

He nodded at her, slowly, though he was visibly concerned. "There are enough of us on Blade Ship Wanaria to ensure your safety, and his. We'll leave as soon as you are ready. From what I have been told, the beacon has been very reliable and they've yet to detect it. We'll find Atalanta, and then we'll find Idris, and the two of you can move on and never have to worry. Or, you are welcome to stay docked aboard my ship." He smiled warmly at her, and then shook his head. "But of course, I am getting ahead of myself now." He placed one of his massive hands on her shoulder, looking down at her, and smiling. "You are safe with us, I promise."

"Xedrin..." She smiled up at him, looking down at the hand on her shoulder and suddenly felt much more comforted than she had in a very long time. "...thank you. I am ready to go immediately. I need nothing but what I'm wearing, and...myself." If she needed to defend herself - she could. "And I would like nothing more than to get to Astaria as soon as possible."

He laughed weakly at her and shook his head. "You'll not be going into battle, with me, dressed in that manner. But that's not important right now. If you are ready to leave, then leave we shall." He turned slowly to walk towards the door. His guards were about half a foot shorter than him, but still a good one or two feet taller than Brynn. They looked to their commander and awaited their instructions. "Come...we're leaving."

Captain Chariton and his escorts were nowhere to be seen as the guards moved themselves around Brynn and Szen Seeker Xedrin. He led her down to the launch deck where they made their way across the floor to the large ship. Their escorts left them at this ship and moved to two different fighters, obviously an escort for the shuttle than Xedrin had arrived in.

Brynn would never get used to switching ships so often. Hell, she'd never quite get used to ships in general. She was already thinking about solid ground, dirt, air, trees... Staring up at this new shuttle they were entering, she studied it curiously for a few moments before looking for a place to settle while they traveled to what she assumed would be the Blade ship.

The two Ulratian guards strapped into their respective fighters and started to heat them up. The shuttle, almost as big as Idris' cruiser analog, could be piloted by Xedrin all by himself. He led her up the landing ramp and across the ship to the cockpit. It looked like nothing more than a personnel carrier, with seats and crash webbing for over a hundred very large beings. He offered her the seat in the copilot's chair and started to warm up his own ship. He didn't turn to her as his hands, which were almost big enough to hold almost all of Brynn's gentle face in their palm, moved over the controls and started the take off procedures.

He didn't look at Brynn as he spoke to her, his gaze on the controls. "What I did not want to discuss while aboard Captain Chariton's ship was that I intend to seize Astaria for my own. From what I have heard, there is a great deal to be learned. If there is something keeping Idris bound to that craft, I am sure we can find whatever it is and neutralize it. However, when we embark into combat, I will not be able to allow you to go with me dressed as you are. I am going to have my soldiers dig up some combat gear that might be able to fit your lithe, slender form."

She frowned as she sat, listening to Xedrin speak. He wanted the ship? Why wouldn't he want the Captain to be aware of that? No matter. "I understand entirely." Hesitating a moment, she arched an eyebrow as she looked down at herself. "Combat gear?" That would be a new thing for her. She had never worn combat gear. "If you...insist. Xedrin, there is something you should be aware of if it becomes a concern. I am...an Elemental. The term is new, even to me, but that is what they call my kind. I just thought you should be aware. I will not hesitate to use my abilities if I have to."

He smiled. Brynn felt it for just a brief moment as the ship took off and headed across the deck, their fighter escorts on their flanks. He turned to look at her and laughed a little. "I knew there was something special about you, Mistress Phytrelia. No matter, if you wish to be able to use your abilities while in combat, I only ask that you take care not to hurt any of my men. And the only reason I am going to get you some gear is so that you are safer. I would hate for you to be running around in nothing but rags while me and my men walk around geared head to toe in armor that is meant to withstand hard vacuum. I have no idea what we'll find when we reach Atalanta's beacon, but I have always felt it is better to ensure victory instead of risking defeat."

"Oh no, I am very careful with my abilities. They will affect no one except those I want it to affect. I can promise you that. As for the combat gear, that is fine with me. I appreciate being kept as safe as possible. It'd be nice to come out of all of this alive." She forced a little chuckle, trying to make herself sound a little light-hearted. It was so difficult when she'd been nothing but serious these past few days.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Of course." He moved to strap in his crash webbing and turned to her. "You should bind up, just in case." He indicated and then looked to the viewport, not noticing if she took his advisement to heart. He throttled forward and launched out of the ship, the fighters following closely. The blade ship loomed no very far off. The fighters moved into view on the left and right far sides of their screen and advanced ahead of them. The black battleship looked like a crescent with a long tail at the middle of it, the rounded front of the ship looked almost like an insect pincer. There wasn't a lot of time to stare at it, because the shuttle and the fighters managed to make the trip in less than a minute. The landing deck of the blade ship looked a great deal different in comparison to the ships she had previously been on. The entire deck was covered with fighters, the black floor lit only by the lights of the ships. Unlike before, there was not a great deal of people running about. Brynn only saw a few of the blue-skinned soldiers. The ship set down slowly amongst the fighters and Xedrin unstrapped himself, looking over to her. "We'll need to get you a place to stay and get comfy while we make the journey. I am pretty sure it won't be difficult, we just didn't know if you were going to agree to come with us."

"That's fine. You can put me anywhere. I'm very low maintenance." She smiled at him warmly as she stood up, absently straightening out her clothing.

"Heh, we'll not be putting you just anywhere. I know of a special place on my ship for a girl like you." He winked at her and moved to stand. He waited for her and then began to walk with her back to the landing ramp of the ship. He led her to the launch deck where his escorts were waiting patiently for him. They made their way down one of the paths set between the lines of ships, walking through a door that led into a very expansive hallway. After traveling for about fifteen minutes, moving through lifts and walking up ramps, Xedrin and his men stopped. He extended a hand to the door. It seemed to be the only door for almost ten meters on either side of the corridor. "These will be your quarters for the duration of your stay here, Mistress Phytrelia." He smiled warmly at her and then leaned a little closer. "By the way, you can call me Cal. I apologize if I seemed overly formal, but in the presence of Captain Chariton, or almost any other human in Initiative military, I feel I need to be sure they respect us." He winked at her and stood up again, waiting for her to regard her room.

A "girl like her"? She didn't know quite what he meant by that, but she trusted Xedrin enough, so she didn't hesitate to follow him, merely shooting him a puzzled look. Looking around at the new ship she was on, she made sure to pay attention to where they were going in case she needed to find her way back for any reason. "Cal. Thank you. And you may call me Brynn. Please." She turned to look at her new quarters and moved to step inside of it.

He nodded at her "Brynn...of course." He bowed his head at her a little. As she approached the door, it slid open, letting her walk inside. The room was very luxurious. The bed was big enough to fit two of the towering beings she'd been following around, but instead of a light, white theme, her room had a black, dark theme to it. The walls were black, the metal floor, the bedding, and the ceiling. It was all black. The dressers on either side of the frame were black. The room was also almost twice as big as the quarters she'd been given aboard Avenger. The right wall went on for about three meters until the doorway, which was open. Perhaps that was where the refresher was.

Brynn stared at the very large, dark room, and arched an eyebrow a moment. "It's...wonderful. Thank you very much, Cal. You are doing more than you have too." The sheer size of the room was a little over whelming, but she understood why it was so. Seeing how large Cal and the others like him were, it made perfect sense to her.

He smiled at her, standing just inside the doorway. Unlike her previous quarters, the roof loomed almost a full twelve inches above the top of Cal Xedrin's head. "If you need anything, just use this communicator. Someone will come and help you right away." He indicated a small box on the wall. It had a speaker and a red button. He gestured, showing her how if she pressed the button, she could speak into it, and when she let go, they could speak back to her. "I am going to go back and check on everything. I'll notify you with sufficient time to change and prepare for our assault on Astaria."

Walking to the box, she nodded to show she understood the directions he gave her. Gently, she ran her fingers over the red button, before taking a step back and smiled up at Cal. "Alright. I'll...be here. Waiting as patiently as I can." Which wasn't very, she knew. Waiting for him to be gone, she moved towards the very large bed and stared at it with a bit of distaste. It wasn't the bed itself, it was the idea of lying down again, of being immobile all over again. So instead, she sat down on the edge and began to create flames in her palms, toying with shapes, sizes and colors. Anything to keep herself active.

Once he was sure she understood, he left her, walking back out into the corridor and leading his escort away from her room. One of them stayed at her door, obviously wanting to be sure she wasn't disturbed. The room was silent, save for the sound of her flames burning. But then she heard something. It sounded far away, like it was coming from the other room.